Picking Up The Pieces
by LadyPhantomhive1
Summary: Finn and Marceline have found a spell that might be able to repair the Ice King's shattered mind. But can someone lost for so long ever really be found?
1. Chapter 1

Finn felt like banging his head on the table. However, he knew that that would only earn him an irritated "Shhh!" from the librarian, and he was already sick to death of _that_.

He hated being stuck here, while Jake went off and had adventures. If he had a choice in the matter, he wouldn't be here at all, but he had gotten injured while battling a monster two weeks ago. It hadn't been too serious (certainly not worse than he had had before), but Flame Princess had gotten scared and had made him promise to take some time off and rest. He knew it was probably a bad idea (after all, Ooo tended to attract lot of danger and he and Jake almost always had to save it), but after all the problems they'd already had in their brief relationship, he wanted her to know he cared about her. So here he was, in the library, glancing over some book about ancient rulers who no one remembered.

"Finn!" someone whispered, snapping him out of his thoughts. He spun around, and realized it was Marceline.

"Oh, hey, Marcie."

"Hey Finn."

"So...not that I'm not happy to see you, but what are you doing here? This doesn't seem like your kind of place."

"Oh... I was...looking for something." Was it just him, or did she seem a little uncomfortable?

"Well, I'd be happy to help you look. I was bored out of my mind, anyway."

"Um...sure, thanks." She _was_ uncomfortable, like he had caught her doing something she didn't want anyone to see. He wondered why. It wasn't like this library carried anything but dusty old books - certainly nothing you wouldn't want to be caught reading.

"So what are you looking for?"

"A spell book, actually. Particularly those having to deal with healing."

They set off through the shelves, which were not in any particular order, with little clusters of similar books scattered throughout. It was not an easy task, especially since this was one of the largest libraries in Ooo. They found plenty of books on healing, but each time Marceline would shake her head and put it back on the shelf, with no explanation. After about two hours, Finn was getting sick of it, but then Marceline excitedly called him over.

"Finn! This is it!"

He looked over her shoulder at what she was holding. It was a plain, leather bound book, with nothing on the cover. It was quite thick, but many of these books were - he would never have noticed it. She flipped it open to show him the page she had been looking at.

"A...regeneration spell?"

"Yeah. It says it's for 'healing the injuries of time'."

"So what do you need it for?"

She suddenly tensed. What had he said?

"Finn...you know the Ice King? How he used to be a guy named Simon, before the crown drove him nuts?"

"Oh yeah...he collected old stuff or something like that, right? And he bought the crown, then started turning into the Ice King after he put it on."

"Well...it didn't happen right away. He didn't really...change...for a long time. And...I knew him."

"What?! But wasn't that, like, centuries ago?"

"Finn, I'm a thousand years old."

"Oh...right," he muttered sheepishly. "I forget sometimes. So...how?"

"What?"

"How did you know each other?"

"You know about the Mushroom War, right?"

"Yeah..."

"Well...I was a child when that happened. I can't say how old I was, exactly - I've always aged differently than humans,'cause of my dad. I was pretty young. Anyway, my mom...well, she was only human, and she...didn't make it. She tried to hide me, in an empty bunker...all I remember is screaming and shouting and all these explosions. Then there was this wave of heat, like nothing you've ever experienced...and then it was so, so quiet."

"When I finally came out, I couldn't find anyone. Everything was destroyed. I guess there were bodies, but they were so...damaged...I didn't even realize they had been human. Eventually I just stood there and cried."

"That's how he found me. He wasn't hurt, 'cause the crown protected him. He tried to comfort me, gave me some food, gave me Hambo from a burned-out toy store. We kind of ended up adopting each other. He was sort of a father to me, y'know? Don't get me wrong, I love my dad, but Simon was there for me when I really needed it, and Dad wasn't. I can't forget that."

They were quiet for a while while Finn tried to process what she had said. He had known that the Ice King must have had a past, a whole different life, before he went insane, but Finn had never really thought about it. He and Marceline were two of the oldest beings in Ooo - now he found himself wondering what else they had seen, done, been, before he ever knew them.

"It must be really hard."

"What?"

"Seeing him like he is now, and knowing the person he used to be."

"Yeah," she said roughly, turning away, "it is. So I thought maybe, if I could find something to reverse the damage the crown has done, I could bring him back. I know he's done a lot of bad things, Finn, and maybe you think he doesn't deserve redemption, but I know that Simon is still there, and I can't even imagine what it must be like, being lost in your own head..."

"Marceline," he interrupted, "you don't have to justify this to me. I know that he's not in control of his actions, and my job would be a lot easier if he went back to normal. If there's anything I can do to help, tell me."

"Okay. I want you to bring him to that field around your house at nightfall tomorrow. It's better if we're not around a lot of people when we do this. I have to get the ingredients ready, so try make sure he doesn't come early or he might mess them up. And..." her voice got quieter. "Thanks, Finn."

He smiled. "No problem. See you tomorrow." Then he left. He'd have to make some arrangements, if this was going to work, and there wasn't much time.


	2. Chapter 2

_Cold._

_He's so cold._

_A frozen wind whips around him, slicing him, till he thinks he must be nothing but bone. The wind carries things; flickering bits of warmth that disappear almost before he is aware of them. Places, people, things he knows he should recognize, the memories flicker at the edge of his mind, but he just can't reach them...some appear more than others, faces mostly. A copper-haired woman...a pale little girl with haunted eyes...he wants to reach out to them, he knows they have the power to rescue him from this icy hell, but he just...can't..._

The Ice King gasped, eyes flying open. He hated having that dream. It made him feel...lost, left him with an emptyness he didn't know how to fill. He groaned, stretched, and pushed Gunter out of the bed, yawning. He was already forgetting about the dream.

He became aware of a strange thudding noise, echoing down the main hall. _Were Gunty and Goonther fighting again? He was going to have to separate them from the other penguins if they kept this up._ But, no, he wasn't hearing the indignant squawks he would expect if that were the case...

With delight, he realized that it was knocking. _Someone had come to visit him! _Maybe Princess Bubblegum was finally coming around...

"Gunter! Go tend to our guest while I freshen up."

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Finn stomped his feet, shivering. He hadn't had time to find a sweater this morning, as he had had to convince Jake, do his best to ensure that they would be alone, and help Marceline with preparations, all in less than a day. He hadn't even been able to sleep much. _What was keeping Ice King so long? _It was almost noon; surely he couldn't _still_ be in bed.

He raised his hand to knock again, then straightened, hearing the shuffling waddle that signified a penguin's approach. He took a deep breath, mentally running over his script again. _I'm asking him over to play video games. Jake is visiting Lady Rainicorn, so he can't join us. Nothing suspicious about any of it, just stay calm and everything should go fine._

The heavy door swung open, making him jump to attention. The penguin...Gunther, or something like that...stared at him blankly.

"Uh...hi...is Ice King home?"

The penguin made one of its odd quacking noises. _I guess that's a yes, then._

"So...can I come inside, or..."

It gestured inward and began waddling to one of the many doorways that dotted the hallway, making him jog a bit to catch up. He peered at the ones he passed, noting that most of them seemed locked. _I wonder what he has in all those rooms?_ Surely he and the penguins couldn't use _all _of them.

Finally they arrived at their destination, a large chamber furnished with packed-snow chairs. The penguin pointed at them, indicating for him to sit. Finn hesitated. _They don't look very stable..._

He shuffled across the room and gingerly placed himself on one, relaxing a bit when it remained sturdy. When he looked up, the penguin had gone, presumably to tell the Ice King who the visitor was. He took the opportunity to have a closer look at his surroundings. The room was spacious and appeared to be some kind of living-room, yet was surprisingly empty - except for those few chairs, you wouldn't know anyone lived here at all.

"Finn?"

He jumped. "Oh, uh, Ice King! Hi!"

The Ice King glanced around, looking surprised.

"Jake isn't with you? I thought you guys were practically joined at the hip."

Finn laughed nervously. "He's, ah, spending the day with Lady Rainicorn. So, since I have the day free, I was wondering if you wanted to come over and play video games."

The Ice King appeared to think for a moment.

"Sure!"

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Marceline etched the final rune into the earth, hurriedly scanning each symbol. She couldn't afford to mess this up. The ingredients had been hard enough to procure _this _time around, and she had still had to call in many of her favors and connections around Ooo. Next time, she wouldn't have nearly as much help.

Also...she wasn't sure she was strong enough to try this again. She'd failed all the other times (and there had been _many _times), and it had almost broken her to see him still like that, to feel that she was somehow responsible. If this attempt flopped, she didn't think she could stand anymore.

"Marceline!"

Finn sprinted over the field, panting as he skidded to a halt a few feet away from her.

"He's almost here! Is everything ready?"

She inspected the arrangement one more time, checking to make sure nothing was forgotten or out of place. Everything looked perfect...no more time for preparation, this would be the final test. _I guess it's now or never..._

She begin chanting the spell, slowly, to ensure that it would be ready just as Ice King appeared over the ridge. She heard the distinctive flapping of his beard. _Concentrate...this has to be just right..._

Finally, he appeared in the field, flying over to Finn. He didn't notice her immediately; as her low chanting reached a crescendo, however, he turned, looking baffled.

"Marceline, what are you doing here? What are you singing? Is this some new kind of rap?"

_Come on...come on...just a few inches further..._

He advanced towards her...and landed right in the middle of the array, as the spell reached its pinnacle. A wall of light encased him, completely obscuring him from her. She could hear something, though...was that...screaming? _Oh glob, what if something went wrong, what if he's _worse...

But it was too late to change things; she had done her best, and she would deal with any...consequences...when they arose. To interfere now would undoubtably make it worse, much as the agonized wails tore at her heart.

As she watched, the glowing veil dissolved, leaving a figure crumpled on the ground. She flew towards him, grabbing a cold brown hand to check for life. _Brown...?_

She shifted him, pulling his face onto her lap. He looked like a stranger. She knew he wasn't, of course, she had glimpsed his old face in pictures. But it was still so weird, seeing this young, healthy-looking man in place of the half-frozen, sad-eyed creature she had always known, the one who had raised her. _I wonder if this really is the person I knew..._

She squeezed his hand. He felt alive enough.

"Marceline...is he..."

She turned to Finn, giving him a small smile to reassure him. He sighed in relief.

"That's wonderful. When he started screaming...I thought..."

Finn shuddered.

"Well, it doesn't matter now. We should get him into the house or something. I'll make him some soup."

"Thanks, Finn. I'll be there in a second."

"Want me to help you carry him?"

"No, I...I got it."

As Marceline flew into the house, she glanced down at the man in her arms. _Of course he looks different, without his Crown warping him..._

However, she couldn't help shuddering.

_I'm sure he hasn't changed _that _much..._


	3. Chapter 3

Finn dropped a block of frozen tomato soup into a saucepan, turning the heat up as much as he could. Glob knew Simon would need it. Would he still be ice-cold, Finn wondered, now that the Crown no longer had a hold on him?

Then again, they couldn't know that its power over him had even been broken. For all he and Marceline knew, he could just go crazy again. _No,_ Finn thought firmly. They knew what to do now. They could prevent him from ever falling under the Crown's spell again.

He glanced over his shoulder at the unconscious man on his couch. Marceline had flown away to get a healer, just in case there had been any unseen complications. For the most part, though, Simon seemed okay. Frail and tired, as one would expect, but he just looked like he'd been working too late or had a mild cold.

It was a little weird, how polar-opposite he was from how he'd been just a few hours ago. Truth be told, Finn felt a little wary of this new person. He was thrilled that the spell had worked, of course, but he'd only known this man after the Crown had broken him. What would he be like with his mind and memories intact?

He turned back to the soup, telling himself that he was being silly. Those kind of thoughts were pointless. For now, all he needed to think about was how he could help.

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Marceline glided back to Finn and Jake's treehouse, carrying Dr. Princess. She wasn't used to carrying other people with her when she flew, and it made her slower than normal. She hated being delayed, even a little, but she tried to maintain her cool demeanor, knowing that there was going to be a lot for her to do in the next few days and that she couldn't afford to get flustered.

As she crossed the final stretch of field, she steeled herself for anything she might find. She trusted Finn, but he was no doctor. If something _had _gone wrong, there would be very little he could do, and she had to be prepared for that. _Focus. Just stay calm and do what you can to help Simon. There will be time to worry later._

She opened a window and floated inside. She removed the coat she had been wearing to protect herself from the sun as she took in her surroundings.

"So, what should I expect?", Dr. Princess asked her. "You didn't tell me much."

"Honestly...I don't know", Marceline admitted. "He looked alright when I left...I guess I just need to be sure there aren't any internal injuries. I'd also like to know if there's anything I should do, you know, when he wakes up. Medicine or something."

"Well, as far as I know this has never been done before, so we won't know until I examine him," Dr. Princess replied briskly. "Where is he?"

"The living room."

Together, they entered the room. The first thing Marceline looked at was Simon. He seemed to be just as she had left him, and she breathed a heavy sigh of relief.

Finn was humming some goofy song to himself as he stirred a pot of soup. He didn't seem to have noticed their presence yet; Marceline loudly cleared her throat to alert him, and he jumped, blushing a bit.

"H-Hey, guys!"

"Hello, Finn. Has anything changed?"

"Not that I can see. He hasn't moved since you left."

Dr. Princess strode over to the unconscious man, pulling her kit from the folds of her coat. The other two looked on as she unpacked it, then begin appraising him, using various strange medical implements. She muttered to herself as she worked, and they were able to catch snatches of her words.

"Heartbeat is regular...pulse is strong..."

She glanced over her shoulder as she finished.

"Well, I'm more experienced treating candy people, but as far as I can tell this man is perfectly healthy. Body temperature is a bit low, but other than that..."

Finn and Marceline relaxed and sighed in unison.

"Call me again when he wakes up and I'll re-examine him. Until then, just watch him. Now, Marceline, if you would transport me back?'

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Finn watched as they flew away. _Well, Jake is gone...no idea where BMO is...and I can't leave Simon alone...maybe I'll call Flame Princess?...no, she might freak him out if he wakes up. Guess I'll just read or something. _He begin digging through the debris in his living room, careful not to be too loud. _Let's see...dagger...jug...spare paper...ugh, is this a piece of pizza? Maybe I'll find something upstairs._

He straightened and headed for the staircase, pausing as he heard a soft noise. He backtracked and stopped in front of the couch, scrutinizing Simon closely. As he watched, the man's eyes fluttered...and opened.

"Where...where am I?"


	4. Chapter 4

**(A/N): I am so very, very, VERY sorry for abandoning these stories for so long. Between school and family, things have just been...ugh. I know that's no excuse. But I'm back now, and I'll be updating once or twice a week from now to when school starts again. I'll probably be updating much more this week, to make up for my laziness. Thank you to all my readers, and I hope you enjoy these new chapters!**

For a moment Finn stared blankly at him. Then he unfroze and began to walk slowly towards the couch, trying not to startle Simon. But the person on the couch seemed quite calm, if a little disoriented.

"You're safe. You remember who I am, right? Finn. This is my house; you've been here a couple of times. Or, not really _you_, I guess..."

Simon blinked.

"I remember, but...it's like I can't focus on it. I know you, but I don't quite remember how."

He looked around, taking in the room.

"Wow, this place is a mess..." He stopped as he realized what he'd said. "I-I'm sorry! I didn't mean that, I'm just a mess myself right now. But you know, you're right. This place _is_ familiar.

He paused again, looking worried. "Hey... Where's Marceline? A little girl with dark hair, really pale skin, fangs, would have been with me when you brought me here - have you seen her?"

Finn looked at him carefully.

"She went to take Dr. Princess home. But she's, uh, she's not a little girl..."

Simon stared at him. "What are you talking about?"

"Just how much do you remember, Simon? Recently, I mean."

"Well... Not a lot. I remember everything up to a certain point pretty clearly, then everything starts getting sort of fuzzy, and then...nothing. How did I get here? Did I... did I have another episode?"

Finn stared at him. "Kind of. This is going to be really hard to explain, and I'd rather wait till Marceline gets back to give you the full version. I only know a little of it. I guess just... sit down and rest, and I'll get you a snack or something. I don't know when Jake and BMO are going to be home, so please stay in this room - I don't want them to think you're an intruder and attack you."

As he left the room, he let out a breath. That had gone fairly well, and Simon seemed to be doing okay. But he had no idea how they were going to explain things, or how Simon would take the news. He seemed to have almost no memory of his time as the Ice King. _Imagine waking up to find that centuries have passed since your last memory. I have no idea how you'd explain something like that. At least Marceline will know what to do, _he assured himself. _She knows him better than anyone, and if there's anyone he'll trust it's her._

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Simon sat back against the couch as the boy disappeared from sight. _Well, he seems nice at least. But I can't relax until I know where Marceline is. Did I have another episode? Did I hurt her, or someone else?_

He stretched and took in his surroundings. The place really was a mess. Interestingly, though, a lot of it seemed to be littered with treasures such as gold coins, jewel-encrusted cups, and antique swords. _Did this kid loot a museum or something? _

Then he noticed the window. And, more importantly, the landscape beyond it. The sky was a perfect azure, not the wintery ash-filled sky he'd grown used to. Under that blue sky was a huge, verdant field, ending in distant woods. He could barely believe what he saw. Even if they'd left the city, even if they had somehow gotten miles from where he last remembered being, every place he'd seen since the war had born traces of the devastation, even the distant countryside. This couldn't be real. No place was this vibrant, this beautiful. Not anymore.

_Still, _he thought, walking over to the window and leaning out. _Even if this is some kind of illusion, I don't think I care. _A strong breeze blew into his face and he inhaled deeply, savoring the fresh green smell. _How long has it been since I actually saw the sun, since I felt a wind that didn't have ash in it? _

_Marceline is going to love this._

As he turned to go back inside, he heard a gasp from outside. Looking back out, he saw a young woman outside the window. She had long, thick black hair, hanging loose behind her. Her skin was impossible pale, shading to gray, and she had two small fangs sticking out at the corners of her mouth. He froze. She was too old, it couldn't be -

_"She's, uh, she's not a little girl..."_

"Marceline?"

She smiled, her eyes welling up.

"Simon..."


	5. Chapter 5

For a moment, neither knew what to say. Simon was the first to break the silence, whispering just one question: "How?"

Marceline opened her mouth, then closed it again. How to explain this? "Simon, do you know how you got here?"

"No. No one will tell me. At first I thought I just had an episode, but the landscape is completely different from how I remember it, and you...you..."

He backed away, shaking his head. "What the heck is going on here?"

Marceline settled on the windowsill. "Simon, I don't know how to tell you this, so I'll just come out and say it." She tried to make her tone as gentle as possible. "It's been several centuries since your last memory. Probably about a millennium, actually. The Crown finally overwhelmed you, and you've been living as the "Ice King" since then. Recently, I found a spell that I thought would reverse the transformation, and...it looks like it worked. That's the condensed version, anyway." She peered at him, checking his expression. "I know that's a lot to take in, and you probably have a ton of questions, so ask me anything you want to know."

Simon simply stared at her, his face blank. She began to get a bit nervous. "Simon? Are you alright?"

He dropped onto the sofa, gazing at the ceiling. "It's... a little hard to believe, Marcy. I mean, for all I know this is just another hallucination. I hope it's not, I really hope it's not, but..."

She drifted closer to him, lighting on the sofa beside him and wrapping her arms around him. "I know it's hard to believe, but it _is _real. Please, trust me on that. And I know that things are probably gonna be pretty weird for you for a while. The world is a lot different from how it was back then. But everything will be okay as long as you trust me... alright?"

He paused, and finally smiled. "Alright. I trust you. But... a thousand years. Wow."

"It's probably more like 900-and-some-change. But yeah, it's been a really long time. And like I said, things are pretty different. But I think you'll like it. It's weird, but this world is definitely a lot better than the one we came from."

"And... Marceline... If it's been a thousand years, how are you even still alive? I know the Crown made me immortal, but you... Is it because of your dad, or something?"

"I became a vampire. It's kind of a long story."

Simon turned to her as something occurred to him, an anxious expression on his face. "Marcy, did I... hurt anyone during that time? I know that I could get pretty destructive when I had episodes, and -"

Marceline looked away. "Well, you were a pretty big jerk sometimes, but I don't think you did anyone any lasting damage. You fought with Finn and Jake a lot, and you had this weird thing about kidnapping princesses, but you never seriously injured or killed anyone, and I know that's what you're worried about."

"Finn? That kid who was here when I woke up?"

"Yeah, he let me use his house, since that field outside was the best spot to do the spell. He lives here with Jake, who's his brother, and a computer named BMO. Oh, and sometimes his girlfriend stays over. They're adventurers, so rescuing princesses is pretty much their job description - that's why they fought with you so much. Things have mostly cooled down between you guys recently, though."

As if the discussion of him had summoned him, at that moment Finn's head poked out from behind the wall. "Oh, Marceline! You're back! And I see you guys have already seen each other. Marceline, did you explain? I couldn't figure out how to."

"Yeah, I explained. Is it okay if we stay here a bit longer? I think Simon should have some time to eat and rest before we head to my house."

"Well, I don't mind, but Jake will probably be back soon. As long as you don't mind explaining things to him, then yeah, stay as long as you need. I don't have much food in the pantry, so dinner is probably going to be something like cold pizza and leftover ham. I think I have some strawberries for you, too. So... Guess I'll go get that, then."

He turned to walk out the door, stopping as Simon called out to him. "Um... Finn... Marceline tells me that we used to fight a lot. I just want to apologize for anything that I did to you while I was...not myself. I know that's probably not enough, but I'll try to find a way to make it up to you. So... I'm sorry, and I hope we can be friends from now on."

Finn stared at him for a moment, then grinned. "Hey, man, don't worry about it. You made my life pretty hard sometimes, yeah, but I know that the Crown was messing you up; I can't blame you for something you did while you were brainwashed. Heck, it wasn't even really you." He offered his hand. "So let's just put all that behind us. Apology accepted."

Simon hesitated, then shook Finn's hand, returning the boy's grin. "Thank you."

Downstairs, a door slammed, and someone called out. "Finn? You home?"

"Is that Jake?" Simon asked.

"Yeah. Let me go downstairs and explain stuff first, okay? He's gonna want to meet you." Finn left the room and ran down the stairs, shouting "Be there in a minute!"

Marceline glanced over at the man next to her. "So, Simon, ready to get your first taste of this new world?"

He gave her hand a squeeze, trying to look brave. "Yeah. I'm ready."


End file.
